Chapter 19 Translator: XZY
Chapter 19: Journey (3) ***
"Well, in any case, I'm personally grateful to you."
After exchanging a few idle words, Reigh spoke candidly in a much more relaxed atmosphere.
"The mood in the house is good these days. It seems Valerian Hyung-nim has an environment where he can focus on the territory's affairs, and Father doesn't show it well, but he seems pleased."
"Is that so? It is difficult to grasp His Grace the Grand Duke's mind."
"To be honest, it's the same for me. Heh heh."
Reigh sat in a comfortable position, crossing his legs, and stroked his chin a few times before letting out a sigh.
"Yes, I suppose I have to accept what I have to accept."
"..."
"People can change. Especially children of that age."
Reigh, who was saying such things with a face that seemed to be staring blankly into the distance, appeared to be reminiscing about the past.
It was not difficult to guess the circumstances through which he had come to hold such a grudge against Diella, but even so, looking back at the specific incidents one by one would be a different story.
He had disliked Diella, but through the last duel, he had no choice but to admit that she had achieved internal growth in her own way. Now, it seemed he had slightly revised his own assessment that had looked down on Diella's capacity.
"She used 1-Star magic, but the way she utilized mana was unique. It was like... what should I say... like she was painting a picture."
"You could see that difference?"
"I saw it right in front of me, of course. In my opinion, it didn't seem like Diella had learned the discipline-and-system-centered theory that we nobles use."
Reigh was sharper than he had thought. In any case, he too was a magical prodigy born with the blood of the Duplein family.
His achievement was not yet comparable to his older brother Valerian's, but his innate sense of mana was not lacking at all.
"Does Diella use magic in a slightly different way?"
"Yes. The mana manipulation of the Wild School varies from person to person in how they utilize mana. Perhaps... once she reaches a certain level, she will study on her own without me needing to teach her anything more. When she reaches that level, frankly, a master's intervention could be more of a hindrance."
"That in itself seems quite special."
Reigh slowly closed his eyes.
He seemed to be ruminating on Diella's past, when she had been pessimistic about a life filled with failures without a single extraordinary thing, and had been cooped up in the annex.
And then, Reigh recited in a voice that was not very emotional, yet not dry either.
"Everyone gets their day in the sun."
<><><>
And so, spring came.
If life were the four seasons, then recently it felt as if spring was continuing.
At least, it was so for Diella.
She did not know how it was for the other family members who had to handle various problems of the territory and other macroscopic issues... but at least for Diella, who could devote herself solely to her own training, the whole world seemed like a warm paradise.
Her magical skill felt like it was progressing little by little every time she trained. As was the case with learning, once one began to feel one's own growth, it became more enjoyable than any other amusement.
The liberal arts classes were also manageable, unlike what she had imagined. She personally found things like playing the piano or flower arranging a bit fun, so she would practice them in her room in her spare time, even when no one told her to.
When she walked through the garden where the warm sunlight was pouring down, the servants no longer broke out in a cold sweat upon seeing Diella.
Sometimes, when one or two bold vassals would strike up a conversation, saying the weather was nice, Diella was also able to respond in a moderately cheerful mood.
The maid who had worked in the annex also began to sincerely trust and follow Diella, and started to take good care of her attire and conduct.
The head butler Delon would also greet her with a gentle smile when he saw Diella, and Diella, in turn, could now entertain thoughts such as how he had aged a lot compared to when she was a child.
She, who had had no interest in the affairs of the world, was finally beginning to see her surroundings.
That the junior maid who had always been watching her was actually a more admirable and sharp person than she had thought.
How busy and competent the head maid Katarina was. How the squire, who was always being scolded by her whenever there was a chance, ran around busily from early in the morning to do the work of the mansion.
How delicious the soup made by the mansion's head chef, who had worked in the imperial palace, was. How high-quality the spices sprinkled on top were. How good the flavor of the black tea that was sometimes served during tea time was. How luxurious the depth of its aroma was.
She also picked up the brush again.
Sometimes, whenever she had time, she would take her canvas and easel and go out to the garden, and would draw pictures of the gardeners working hard or the view of the mansion at sunset.
Most people still did not understand Diella's painting style, which was full of empty space, but Diella drew a lot of pictures she liked, as if it did not matter.
Dipping the brush a couple of times in the well-mixed paint and drawing it on the canvas, it felt as if time had stopped.
Once, she was painting the blue sky on the mountain behind the mansion, and when she came to her senses, the sun was setting.
And so, time continued to flow, but the warm feeling as if spring was continuing did not disappear.
Since winter was so long, wouldn't it be alright for spring to be this long too?
It was a thought Diella always lived with.
"You've gotten used to manifesting mana faster than I thought. You're progressing faster than I expected. You don't need to do this training anymore."
"Didn't I tell you I can do it if I try?"
Numerous flowers had bloomed in Diella's world, but still, the time she spent with Derek was the longest.
Who could deny it? That boy was the spring that had come to Diella.
He had taught her magic, found her talent, told her how to walk in the right direction, and had steadfastly done his job even in front of her condescending family. And yet, as always, he just did his duty with an expressionless face.
Diella felt grateful to such a Derek, but apart from that, an adolescent girl was very clumsy in how she expressed her feelings.
As always, in front of Derek who was praising her as she was, Diella narrowed her eyes like a coy girl, and then, with a triumphant expression, she placed her hands on her hips.
"Ehem!"
"..."
"Whenever I'm this proud, you always look at me with a pitiful expression."
"It's not pitiful... it's just that I'm sometimes envious of that innocence."
"You have a very pretty way of saying I don't know the ways of the world."
"How could I go around speaking plainly to the young lady of the Duplein family? The Young Lady is a person born with a noble bloodline."
He never denied that it was not so. This boy seemed to be showing all due respect, but he was the type to never make empty compliments.
Rather, that part was a bit trustworthy. In the world of nobles, which was filled with all sorts of empty compliments and empty formalities, a person like Derek, who showed respect but did not make empty compliments, was a talent more precious than a thousand pieces of gold.
What a great blessing it was to meet a master one could trust and follow.
Diella, at some point, was always humming when she was just walking.
She would enjoy the fragrant scent of the flowers on the roadside, or she would reach out her hand to that high, blue sky.
When she had time, she would also draw portraits for the servants of the mansion.
The servants, who at first were models with an uncomfortable expression, at some point began to want to receive a picture from Diella.
By the time a month, and then two months had passed, Diella was already remembered among the servants as a benevolent and graceful young lady.
She had once been a pure and innocent girl, and had once wandered and been cooped up in the annex and acted rudely, but she had quickly come to her senses and had once again become a young lady befitting her bloodline.
Diella's wandering period was roughly packaged like that. If one faithfully moved forward in the present, a brief period of wandering would be talked about as a momentary deviation. That was the way of life.
Even Lady Miriella, who had looked at Derek with a displeased eye, seemed to have no choice but to acknowledge his achievements, and would just close her eyes and continue on her way when she passed him in the hallway.
Seeing that, Diella felt as if there was nothing in the world that could stop her anymore.
"You know, Derek."
Around late spring, Diella, who was blankly watching the flapping of a butterfly on a garden flower, asked.
"Derek, you've lived as a wandering mercenary."
"Yes, that's right."
"Then you must have lived in a completely wild environment, not an environment like this ducal estate. The fact that the magic Derek uses is based on the Wild School theory is also like that."
"That's about right. In the first place, most Wild School mages are like that. It's not very common to awaken to the Wild School theory in an aristocratic environment like this. The Young Lady is on the special side."
Special.
At that expression, a strange sense of satisfaction rose, and Diella smiled all over her face.
Derek, who had been poring over a 3-Star grimoire he had borrowed from the library, asked Diella across the tea table.
"But why do you ask such a thing?"
"Just because. I was a little curious about how Derek lived."
Diella, who had originally had no interest in her surroundings, was now beginning to take an interest in Derek as her perspective began to widen.
"As you know, Derek, it seems that noble young ladies live in a surprisingly similar way. There might be some differences depending on their authority or influence, but most would live like me. But commoners are not like that."
"That's right. The way commoners live is quite diverse. The values they hold most important are all different, and they are more free than you might think. Of course, most live trembling in poverty rather than enjoying their freedom."
"Yes. So I was wondering what Derek was like. Just out of curiosity."
Derek listened to Diella's words quietly, and then spoke as if it were nothing.
"I just want to become a mage of a higher level. That's the only goal I have right now."
"Really?"
"The only thing I've done my whole life is struggle to survive at the bottom, and the only special talent I have is handling magic well."
Derek was speaking in a candid tone as if it were nothing, but Diella was blinking her bright eyes and listening quietly to her master's words.
"Let's just live doing what I'm good at. That's all there is to it. There's no grand reason."
"I think that's very grand. Derek, you can use magic at an unbelievable level for a commoner."
"That's only by commoner standards. It's a realm that a mage born with a noble bloodline like Lady Diella can one day reach."
Derek, reflected in Diella's small pupils, was a person whose capacity was much larger than she had thought.
"If you're going to dream, you have to look further. It's not something I can say openly anywhere, though."
She could not help but think that that too was just like Derek.
Whenever Derek talked about his ambitions like this, Diella would fall into a strange feeling as if she were distant from him.
The environment he had lived in and the way he faced life were too different from Diella's.
Nevertheless, it was enjoyable to follow in his footsteps.
Diella felt as if a milestone had appeared in her aimlessly wandering life, and at some point, she was always smiling with satisfaction.
<><><>
"You seem to be in a very good mood today, Lady Diella."
"Do I look like it? Actually, yesterday I almost perfectly mastered one 1-Star magic. I heard Valerian Orabeoni also reached this level around this time, so maybe I'm really talented?"
"Of course. The magical achievements you've made in the past few months are truly amazing. Lady Diella will surely become a mage no less than the young master Valerian."
Early in the morning, the maid who was brushing Diella's hair smiled happily.
Diella also responded to the maid's words, full of excitement.
The maid's words were not empty compliments. Diella's magical ability, whose speed of achievement was increasing as time went on, was now really not at an ordinary level.
She had heard that if one perfectly mastered four or five 1-Star magic spells before the coming-of-age ceremony, one was considered very talented, and if one entered 2-Star magic, one was practically treated as a prodigy. Even by noble standards, this growth was definitely not a normal speed.
She had completely absorbed the tips and mastery methods that Derek had passed on, and it seemed that it would not be long before she learned one more new 1-Star magic.
"Today, I have a magic lesson from the morning. I have to study geography in the afternoon, so I have to practice as much as possible in the morning."
"They say the weather will be nice this morning too, so I will set up refreshments at the tea table in the garden. You will have your lesson there, won't you?"
"Yes!"
Diella answered energetically with a bright face, and then came out into the hallway with short, quick steps.
There was still some time until the morning lesson, but she had come out early, full of excitement.
At this time, her magic master would probably be cooped up in his personal room, reading a grimoire. He was a person who always trained in magic whenever he had time.
If she went to him a little early and nagged him to start the lesson quickly, the boy would sigh as if he could not help it and be led out by Diella's arm.
They said the weather would be nice in the morning, so let's receive a new 1-Star magic while basking in the warm sunlight.
Diella thought so, and headed out with a light step, humming a tune.
Thump
And so, Diella, who had casually opened the door to Derek's personal room and entered, raised her voice, full of excitement.
"Derek! Today is magic lesson in the morning! I waited so long since it was only liberal arts classes all last week!"
"..."
When she opened the door and entered, as always, a boy in familiar mercenary attire was sitting at the table.
However, today, her big brother, Lord Valerian, was visiting his room. What was the reason for him, who was always busy looking after the territory's affairs, to have come all the way here?
"Ah, ah. Orabeoni."
"Oh, Diella. Good morning."
A strange anxiety was mixed in a corner of Valerian's heart, who had a gentle smile. It seemed he had been talking about something with Derek.
Diella flinched for a moment at the appearance of an unexpected person, but still, Diella continued to speak in a much brighter voice.
"Orabeoni, I'm sorry. I have a magic lesson scheduled for this morning, so I didn't know you had a separate appointment with Derek."
"No. I didn't come with a separate appointment. I just came because I had something to ask him."
"Then should I come back after your business is finished?"
It was Derek who stopped her.
"It's alright, Lady Diella. We were talking about your magic lessons."
"Huh? Magic lesson talk?"
When Diella tilted her head, Derek said with his gaze lowered.
"To tell you the truth, I have nothing more to teach the Young Lady."
The way of the four seasons was always like that.
There was no such thing as an eternal winter, but spring was the same.
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